Timeless
by Densetsuno Youko
Summary: Narutoxover! She loved him so much that it hurt. For him, she was willing to risk anything and everything, even her soul. Sadly, he would never be able to full appreciate the risk that she took to change his life and their future. ItaKag
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto.

Author's Note: _Eh, I'm not quite sure what to say. I uploaded this yesterday, but it wasn't there today. The strangest things happen to me…Anyway, as an apology gift, I have two __**preview**__ gifts – one for the second chapter of __Timeless__ and one for the fifteenth chapter of __Koibito__– __for__ those who are reading this again. _

_**Last Hope**_

_12/18/07 – 12/19/07_

"Foolish little brother…"

Sasuke's lips pulled backwards into an angry snarl as he glared at the man – the murderer – standing before him. Shrugging off Sakura's restraining hand; he took a staggering half-step towards the man he had once called brother.

"…You are weak…"

He could feel Sakura's hands grappling to pull him back. She was desperate. He could feel it in the way she tried to hold onto him. She was speaking – begging him to do something, but everything she said sounded like incoherent cries to his ears.

"…Eight years ago, you failed to save the clan…"

Sakura was on her knees, begging and groveling at the murderer's feet. What did she think she was doing? Begging that murderer! Where was her pride? Her dignity? Even if they were going to die, they were going to die with honor by avenging those that had been lost. He would never lower himself to beg him for mercy again – _never_ again.

"…Now, eight years later, you fail to save those that you call friends."

Sasuke took one glance at Naruto, and his resolve hardened. Those haunting, soulless blue eyes would be imprinted in his mind forever.

Naruto had deserved better than that.

"Please, he's your brother!" Sakura cried, desperate tears running down her cheeks. "Spare him!"

"Quiet, Sakura!" Sasuke hissed as he angrily shoved the kunoichi aside. "Don't beg him! Naruto didn't want his mercy, and neither do I." Raising his hand, he allowed his fist to charge with chakra as he glared at the motionless man before him. "Let's end this, Itachi!" he roared as he jumped and pushed forward with all the power that he had left. "_Chidori!_"

"Sasuke!" shouted Sakura, watching with horrified awe as Itachi easily side-stepped the attack by grabbing Sasuke's chakra-charged hand in mid-attack. "Please, _no_!" she screamed as Itachi swiftly twisted Sasuke's arm back and ran him through with his own attack. "No! Please, no! Sasuke! Please!"

"Run!" Sasuke gasped as blood gushed from his wound, staining his own hand.

"No, I won't! I won't leave you!" Sakura cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I've already lost Naruto. I won't lose you too!"

"GO!" Sasuke roared. "Go now or I'll kill you myself!"

Sakura staggered back by the force of his command. Bitter tears choked her words as she swore, "I promise. I promise I'll avenge everyone. This isn't the end, Uchiha Itachi! I will never forgive you! _Never_! Remember that!"

"Foolish girl," Itachi answered, releasing his grip on Sasuke's arm. "No one will leave Konoha alive."

Sakura's eyes widened with fear as Itachi took a step towards her.

"Leave her alone." Sasuke gritted through clenched teeth as he pulled his bloodstained arm back through his stomach. Latching onto Itachi's unresisting arm, he growled, "Go already, stupid girl!"

Sakura nodded. With fresh tears running down her cheeks, she turned and ran.

"What do you hope to achieve by saving that worthless girl?" Itachi asked.

Sasuke's eyes slowly slid closed as his grip on his Itachi's arm gradually loosened. "Everything," he answered, a small smirk playing at the edge of his lips as he pitched forward into his brother's arms. His final breath escaped his lips just as he felt Itachi wrap his arms around his shoulders.

"Foolish little brother," Itachi softly murmured as he held Sasuke's limp body against him. "I told you to stay away."

* * *

Sakura quietly made her way back to the alley where they had confronted Itachi. She knew that she was taking a large risk by going back when the entire area was running rampant with S-rank criminals, but she knew that she had to recover Naruto and Sasuke's bodies. It was the least she could do for them now.

Arriving at the area, she immediately hid when she found a shadowy figure flittering around the area. Her heartbeat instantly quickened as she plastered herself against the alley wall. She hoped, praying to every deity that she knew that the darkness of the night would be enough to veil her from the Akatsuki's eyes.

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura's brows knitted in confusion when she realized that the small, petite form flittering around couldn't possibly belong to any of the Akatsuki members. Knowing that she was taking a big risk by revealing herself, Sakura sharply asked, "Who are you?" Seeing the woman's arms wrapped around Sasuke's limp body, she angrily demanded, "What do you think you're doing with Sasuke?"

The woman stiffened, and Sakura could feel the heat of her glare even through the dark. "I'm going to bury him." she answered. "What else do you think I could do to a corpse? Molest him?"

Sakura bit back an angry retort. "Give him to me."

"No," the woman answered, lifting Sasuke's body with surprising strength.

Sakura's hands clenched. "Are you aligned with the Akatsuki?"

The woman paused. Then, shifting Sasuke's body into a more comfortably position, she answered, "No."

"Then how did you get into Konoha?" Sakura demanded. "The Akatsuki has blocked all the entrances. No one can get in or get out." As she spoke, she tried to discreetly gather chakra to her hands. If needed, she would fight the woman to regain Sasuke's body. "Everyone in Konoha has been slaughtered. The Akatsuki would not have spared anyone."

"Konoha isn't my village." the woman confirmed.

"Then how did you get in?" Sakura snapped, keeping her eyes trained on Sasuke's body.

"I have my ways." the woman evasively answered.

"If you're not from the village, and you're not part of the Akatsuki, then what do you want with Sasuke's body?" Sakura asked suspiciously as she began inching towards the woman. "Are you interested in Sasuke's Sharingan?"

"Hardly," she answered. "I just want to put him to rest." She shifted, giving the impression that she was about to leap.

"Why?" Sakura hissed, trying to delay the woman's departure with Sasuke's body. "You don't even know him!"

The woman stopped. "Maybe not directly," she quietly answered, ghosting her fingers over Sasuke's pale cheek, "but I still feel obligated to put him to rest."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as she hurriedly asked, "Did you know someone from the Uchiha Clan?"

"…Yes."

Sakura relaxed her stance as she quickly fired her second question, "Who?"

"Does it matter?" the woman replied, sounding slightly strained. When Sakura didn't answer, the woman asked, "Now, can I go? I'm not going to harm his body. I'm really just going to put him to rest. My…friend would have wanted that."

Sakura opened and closed her mouth. She wanted to ask who her friend was, but she knew that the woman wouldn't answer.

"Was your friend close to…Sasuke?" Sakura quietly asked, choking over the last word.

The woman paused, mulling over the question. After a moment, she answered, "Yes, I think he was. Sasuke may not believe it, and he may not even realize it himself, but I think that he does care. In his own way, I know that he loved him."

Sakura lowered her guard, allowing her chakra-charged fist to dissipate.

The woman turned, preparing to leave.

"Wait!" Sakura called, stopping the woman again. "C-Can I go with you? I would like to bury Naruto beside Sasuke. They were rivals, but they were also best friends. I think they would have wanted to be buried next to each other."

"…All right," the woman conceded. "But we must hurry. We may be spotted if we dawdle here any longer."

* * *

She had tried to be strong. She had tried her best not to cry. But as soon as they lowered their bodies into the ground, she broke. In a moment, she had lost her family, her friends, her village, and the two most important people in her life.

"Damn you, Akatsuki!"

The woman stiffened.

"I'll never forgive you!"

Sakura dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the ground. Angry tears streamed down her face as she fisted her blood-stained hands in the dirt. She had insisted on making the graves alone by hand.

"Damn you, Itachi!"

The woman flinched.

"Sasuke! Naruto!" she cried, pounding her fist into the ground, creating minor tremors through the earth. Why did they have to die and leave her behind? If anything, she would rather be the one lying ten feet below!

"Keep it down!" the woman growled, grabbing Sakura by the arm and hauling her up. "Do you want to alert the Akatsuki?"

"Does it even matter anymore?" Sakura shouted back. "They're gone. Everything's gone! Even the village is in ruins! What's left for me here? If they want to kill me, then go ahead! I should have died alongside them anyway!"

The woman slapped her hard across the cheek.

Sakura blinked, looking up in surprise.

"Get a hold of yourself, silly girl." the woman snapped. "They risked their lives to save you, didn't they?"

Sakura mutely nodded her head. How could she ever forget the look in Sasuke's eyes? His last words had been cold, but his eyes had held desperation. He had been desperate to save _her_. Even mortally wounded – his own hand through his stomach – he had used his last breath to stall Itachi for _her_ sake.

"Are you stupid?" the woman continued, tightening her grip around Sakura's shoulders. "They sacrificed their lives to save your sorry life, and you want to throw it away? Did their lives mean nothing to you? If I was your teammate, I would be ashamed of you. Someone as pitiful as you should never have been a kunoichi!"

Sakura staggered back, shocked.

"If you want to stay here, wallowing in self-pity and waiting for death, suit yourself. As for me, I'm going to fix the problem."

"Fix?" Sakura repeated incredulously.

"Yes," the woman answered. "It may be in vain, but at least then, I'll die knowing that I've at least tried to help!"

"There's nothing to 'fix' or 'help'!" Sakura bitterly retorted. "Look around you! The village is in rubbles. Even if you could somehow rebuild it without the Akatsuki noticing, it would take years to fix! And help? Who's there to help? In case you haven't noticed, I'm the _only_ one that's alive."

"Then I'll help _you_." the woman answered.

"With revenge?" asked Sakura, surprised.

"No. I'm going to try to help you save the village and all those within it."

"You're insane!" Sakura spat. "If you want to try to wake the dead, go to another village. I appreciate your advice and reminder about my teammates' sacrifice, but I don't need the help of a necromancer." Turning away, Sakura added, "Still, I want to thank you for your help today. I hope that you'll be able to get out of Konoha safely."

"Have you heard of the Forbidden Time Seal?"

Sakura stopped mid-step. "The fairytale?" she asked.

"It's not a myth. I've seen the scroll with my own eyes."

Sakura turned and fixed the strange woman with her full attention. "What are you saying? Do you think we'll be able to travel back in time?"

"It's dangerous," the woman admitted, "but if we manage to use it successfully, we can stop the problem by cutting it at its roots."

"Its roots?" parroted Sakura.

"Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura's face flushed with anger. "That bastard! I'll kill him before he hurts Sasuke and Naruto again!"

"Will you do it?" the woman asked. "Of course, keep in mind that this could cost you your soul if it goes wrong."

"Hell yeah!" shouted Sakura. "Even if there's the slightest chance to save everyone, I'll take it!" There was still hope. She could still save them! She could save her family, her friends, her village! She would be able to see Naruto and Sasuke again. Even if it meant her soul, she would gladly give it up for another chance. "What should I do?" she asked.

The woman smiled. "Meet me here tomorrow night."

* * *

"Where have you been?"

She stiffened as she slowly turned her head towards the two nuke-nin heading towards her. "Itachi-san," she greeted, "Kisame."

"Hey!" Kisame returned, revealing a sharp set of pointed teeth as he smiled. "Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving!"

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I'll call everyone when it's done."

"Sounds good," Kisame grinned. "You two talk. I'll report to Leader." With a backward wave, he exited the kitchen and began making his way up the winding stairs to the Hokage's office, which now belonged to Pein. The Hokage Tower was the only structure that they had left intact because they had decided to use it as their new base of operations.

As soon as Kisame left, she turned her attention back to the stove.

"Where were you last night?" Itachi repeated, seating himself in a spare chair. His blood-red eyes easily pierced her clumsy attempts to maintain a calm façade. "Kagome, answer me." he ordered, narrowing his eyes in warning.

"Were you looking for me last night?" she asked evasively.

"You searched for Sasuke's body."

Kagome startled, causing the plate to slip from her hands and shatter across the floor. "W-What gave you that idea?" she asked shakily as she bent over to pick up the shattered pieces. She immediately gasped in pain when a large hand suddenly encased hers and squeezed, causing the shattered shards to pierce into her skin.

"The bloodstain on your shirt gave you away." Itachi answered her unspoken question as he squeezed again, causing the shards to dig deeper into her flesh. "Don't lie to me…and if you ever disobey me again, I will kill you."

Kagome shuddered as she mutely nodded her head. "I…" she trailed, stopping Itachi from leaving the kitchen. "I just thought that you would have wanted your brother to be properly buried. I thought that you might…"

"Still care?" Itachi finished. "You presume too much. Your problem, Kagome, is that you think you know me when you have barely even grazed the surface." He turned, but stopped at the doorway, "If you ever try to presume to understand me again, I will end your pitiful existence. Understand this: You mean nothing to me and you are easily replaced."

He left and she immediately collapsed.

Unshed tears welled in her eyes as she quickly gathered up the remaining shards of the broken plate. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry…

_She wasn't going to cry, damn it!_

* * *

TBC

Author's Note: Out of curiosity, did anyone even see this chapter up yesterday? I could have sworn I uploaded it. Of course, I _might _have been dreaming… :( Argh, this is giving me a headache!

_**Preview: Timeless - Last Resort** _

_"Tobi, I need you to help me retrieve something for me from the Leader's room." _

_Tobi gasped. "Kagome-chan, Leader-sama is going to be angry! He might _eat _me!" _

_Kagome sweat dropped. "Leader-sama is a little scary, but I don't think he's cannibalistic." At least, for their sake, she hoped he wasn't. _

_"Nu-uh, Tobi is a good boy. Tobi doesn't steal!" Tobi flatly refused, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know! Tobi will bake cookies for Kagome-chan! Kagome-chan can have Tobi's cookies. It's better than Leader-sama's stuff anyway!" _

_"Thanks, Tobi, but no thanks." Tossing a look over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening, she begged, "Please Tobi, this is important. I really need you to get that seal for me!" Grasping Tobi's hand, she urgently continued, "I would get it myself, but Itachi wants me to spend the night with him." _

_Tobi gagged. _

_Kagome whacked him over the head. "Hey, watch it." she playfully chided. _

* * *

**_Preview: Koibito __–_**_**The Betrayal** _

_"Itachi-sama!" hollered Momiji. "Please answer me! This is urgent!" she cried as she pounded her fists on the door. _

_The door opened. _

_"What's going on?" Miroku asked, worry creasing his brow as he quickly followed Itachi out of the office. "Did something happen to Kagome-sama?" he asked, immediately perceiving the problem. _

_Momiji nodded. "S-She…She…" _

_"Calm down," Miroku advised as he quickly grabbed her forearm to steady her trembling body. "Now, start from the beginning. What happened?" _

_Momiji took a large breath and answered, "Kagome-sama has left __the village__. She heard that Haku-sama and Kimimaro-sama __have been taken as hostages by the Mizukage of Kirigakure__S__he and Kikyou-san are __going to try to infiltrate__Kirigakure to save them." _

_"What?" Itachi hissed, his dark eyes immediately flashing to blood-red. _

_"We're in the middle of war right now." Miroku whispered, shocked. "If Kirigakure sees through their disguise, they'll be killed." _

_"Please, you have to save them!" Momiji cried. _

_"Itachi-sama, what should we do?" Miroku echoed, looking towards Itachi for orders. _

_"I'm placing you in charge of Shin Kirigakure." Itachi answered as he quickly entered his office and retrieved his katana. _

_Miroku's jaw dropped. "B-But…"_

_"My departure is to be kept as a secret. If my disappearance becomes widespread knowledge, Shin Kirigakure will fall into chaos, and Kirigakure will attack." Itachi impatiently explained as he gathered a pouch of kunais and exploding tags. _

_"But…" _

_"Stay in the office until I return. If__ possible, keep your mouth shut__. I'll return as quickly __as __possible." _

_"But…" cried Miroku. It fell on deaf ears. _

_Itachi was already gone. _


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto.

_**Last Resort**_

_12/31/07 – 1/18/08_

For normal people, dinner was a time of gathering and relaxation for family and friends. However, for the Akatsuki, dinner was a distinctly awkward affair that only took place because the Leader had deemed it necessary.

In her years working alongside the Akatsuki, Kagome had come to realize that the awkwardness of the situation could be fully attributed to three factors.

_One, no one spoke unless they were spoken to first._

On some days, the silence around the dinner table was appreciated. However, on other days, she found the awkward silence unsettling. No one really spoke; not even the Leader, who only spoke on rare occasions in order to make brief announcements.

She had heard stories – _rumors_ – of how the dinner table had once (before she had joined the organization) been filled with laughter and chatter. Though the rumors were only groundless assertions, Kagome was positive that the stories held some inklings of truth. The simple fact that Tobi, Deidara, and Hidan (the most rambunctious set of S-rank criminals in criminal history) had been permanently banned from speaking during dinner was more than enough evidence to prove that the rumors true.

However, no matter how much she wheedled or begged, no one would tell her _why _they had been banned from speaking during dinner. Though, if she were to be completely honest with herself, she guessed that it was probably due to the fact that Tobi was generally too sweet when he spoke – a characteristic that tended to grate on the others' nerves. As for the other two, she could only assume that they had been banned from speaking because they had a tendency to be too (physically) vocal about their feelings.

Besides the three that had been banned, Kisame was probably the only one who could even hope match their verbal (or more accurately, their decibel) skills. However, Kisame was typically too engrossed in the food to speak.

As for the remainder of the criminals that made up the Akatsuki, she guessed that they didn't speak because they found communication to be an unnecessary human skill. At least, that's the answer she had deducted from observing Itachi's habits.

_Two, despite the fact that it was diner, half__ of them didn't eat_

True, they were gathered for dinner (which usually denotes food), but half of them didn't eat…at all. Kagome wasn't sure how the others felt, but she personally found it awkward to eat when others were simply staring.

It made her feel self-conscious – especially since she sat directly across from Itachi.

Counting herself, the number of people who indulged in dinner came to a grand total of five. Coincidentally, the ones who ate dinner were also the ones who were banned from speaking during dinnertime.

Not even Pein ate dinner (even though he was the one mandated it).

In a way, she found that it was sort of insulting to know that half of them didn't even both to try the food that she labored to make. In Zetsu and Sasori's case, she could understand due to their unique disposition. However, the others could have had at least made the effort to _sample_ the food!

Thankfully, Kisame and Hidan ate enough to finish everyone else's portion.

_Three, most of them __would rather stare into space alone rather than share a meal together. _

With the exception of Tobi, she was positive that none of them (herself included) wanted to spend any more time than necessary with the other members. From the expression on Pein's face, she was sure that he felt the same way as the rest of them.

From what she had been able to gather from Pein's personality, she guessed that he had only mandated dinner for political reasons. After all, despite the fact that they were a criminal organization, they were still an organization nonetheless.

_How typical…_

"Tonight," Pein suddenly spoke, startling half of the table's occupants into motion. "We will begin our move towards Sunagakure."

Kagome froze. They were _leaving_? What was she supposed to tell Sakura?

"However, it would be unwise to leave Konoha unattended." Pein carefully continued, eyeing each of his subordinates. "Thus, I have decided that Itachi will remain here with Tobi and Kagome. Everyone else will operate according to plan."

Despite the situation, Kagome found herself smiling. With most of the Akatsuki gone, it would be even easier to execute her plan. Looking up from her untouched plate, she immediately froze when she found herself staring into Itachi's cold, unwavering gaze.

The way he looked at her with suspicion and distrust made her blood run cold with fear. Had he somehow discovered what she had been planning? Over the years, she had found lying to him to be near impossible. One way or another, he always seemed to know what she had done (or what she was planning to do).

"Leader, am I to operate alone?" Kisame asked off-handedly, bringing everyone's attention back to Pein. Kagome mentally sighed with relief when Itachi finally looked away. She counted her lucky starfishes as she mentally promised to bake Kisame a treat for inadvertently saving her from a potentially dangerous, yet awkward confrontation.

"No, you will work alongside Zetsu." Pein answered.

Kisame seemed to visibly pale (despite his skin tone) as he nodded.

* * *

Once everyone had cleared out of the dining room, Kagome and Tobi immediately began cleaning up the table. Throughout the whole thing, she could hear Tobi grumbling and mumbling about the wasted food.

"Ne, Kagome-chan, what should we make for dinner tomorrow?" Tobi asked as he scraped the last dish of food into the trash.

"Something simple since there will only be three of us." Kagome answered, though she wasn't sure if she should have just answered _two_ since Itachi never seemed to eat during dinner. Sometimes, she wondered if he ate at all.

"Hm, Tobi wants to bake a pie." he suddenly announced, hugging himself in pure delight at the thought of dessert. "Tobi wants to make an apple-raspberry pie!"

"All right," Kagome answered as her eyes softened.

"We're going to bake a pie! We're going to bake a pie! Kagome and Tobi are going to bake a pie!" Tobi sang as he pranced happily around the kitchen, causing a wide smile to spread across Kagome's lips. "We're going to –"

"Kagome," the lightly intoned word sent shivers racing down her back as her smile immediately slid off her face.

"Itachi-san!" chirped Tobi.

"Itachi-san," Kagome echoed, turning to face the doorway. She immediately felt her heartbeat quicken when their eyes connected. Unlike usual, his cold eyes held a hint of emotion that she immediately recognized as lust and desire. Unexpectedly, she felt her cheeks warm as she lowered her gaze.

"Meet me in my room tonight."

Kagome flushed as she dumbly nodded her head. Even without speaking, she knew what he wanted. She knew that he didn't love her, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that she was the only woman who had ever succeeded in invoking any semblance of emotions in his frigid heart.

Even if it was only desire, it was more than nothing.

"Goodness," Kisame's rough voice grumbled as he entered the kitchen a few seconds after Itachi left. "Sometimes, I wonder what Leader is thinking when he makes these decisions."

Kagome blushed as she quickly returned to her previous task. "Did you need something, Kisame?"

"Nah, I'm just here to let you know we're leaving now." he grinned. "Make sure you prepare something good when we come back from our mission. We can celebrate our victory over Sunagakure."

Kagome nodded. She had no doubt that they would be victorious. As they were now, the Akatsuki was the most powerful organization on earth.

World domination wasn't just a fantasy.

"Oh," Kisame stopped by the doorway. He turned to offer Kagome a roughish grin as his lips stretched to reveal sharp, pointed teeth. "Make sure you and Itachi-san keep your activity to his bed."

Kagome flushed a hot red as Kisame left the kitchen.

Tobi blinked. "What activity?" he asked as his eye lighted with interested. "Oh!" he suddenly shouted, jumping up in excitement. "Are you and Itachi-san going to play a game? Can Tobi join? _Please_? Tobi is a good boy!"

"Um…" Kagome coughed as she shuffled towards the sink. Keeping her back towards Tobi she answered, "I'm sorry, Tobi. This is…_private_."

"Private?" Tobi echoed, his eyes filling with tears. "But Tobi wants to play too! Tobi promises to be a good boy! So please, _please_ let Tobi play!"

"Eh…" Kagome ducked her head embarrassment as she began to scrub the dishes with enough power to cause them to crack.

"_Please!_" Tobi cried.

"I –" Kagome answered.

"For goodness sake!" sneered Hidan as he made his way towards the fridge. "Are you stupid, you freaking dumbass?" he asked, giving Tobi a pointed look. "Isn't it obvious those two are planning to sin?"

"Huh?" Tobi asked, even more confused than before.

Kagome closed her eyes and prayed that the ground would open and swallow her up. How in the world had Hidan gotten hold of _that _information when Itachi had just made that statement less than three minutes ago?

"Do we have to spell it out for you?" Deidara asked, joining Hidan in rummaging through the fridge. When Tobi eagerly nodded his head in the affirmative, Deidara immediately frowned as he blinked in surprise. "You are sick." he answered.

"Tobi is very healthy, Deidara-senpai!" Tobi answered.

Deidara frowned, wondering if it was possible for a person to be that stupid.

"Please, Deidara-senpai, tell Tobi why Kagome-chan and Itachi-san's game is a sin!" Tobi pleaded, latching onto the sleeve of Deidara's cloak.

"No way!" answered Deidara, poking his head back in the fridge in search of food.

"Please!" Tobi begged. "Tobi wants to…"

"I said no!" Deidara growled.

"But senpai…!"

"He means sex." Everyone immediately turned towards the doorway when Kakuzu suddenly joined the conversation.

"Huh?"

"Sex: S-E-X!" Kakuzu answered. Kagome promptly bashed her head against the counter as Hidan and Deidara both shot Kakuzu scandalized looks. "What?" Kakuzu answered, looking unfazed. "We're in the Akatsuki – a _criminal _organization – not nursery school."

"Still!" argued Deidara.

"Oh man!" Hidan muttered, shaking his head. "I knew you were a sinner, Kakuzu, but now you've crossed the line! Now you're guaranteed a one-way ticket to hell. Jashin-sama will never forgive you for saying _that_ word."

"…" Kakuzu didn't even bother trying to understand Hidan's logic. Apparently, it was okay for someone to cuss up a storm, but it was _not _okay for someone to say the three-letter 's' word. Deciding that Hidan's logic was a territory best left untouched, he sighed and announced, "Leader wants everyone outside. We're leaving immediately." With that, he turned and left.

Soon, Hidan and Deidara left as well.

"Ne…Kagome-chan." Tobi called, looking at Kagome with worry. "Are you sick? You look pale." After a moment, he added, "Why is your head in the sink?"

"Just…just give me a moment, Tobi." Kagome answered, sounding tired.

"Okay!" Tobi chirped. However, after a moment, the need to speak touched him again. "Hey, Kagome-chan, what is 'sex'?"

Kagome dropped her head again, causing her forehead to hit the edge of the sink. She distinctly felt like crying.

* * *

Later that night – a little after the main group had set out for Sunagakure – Kagome and Tobi sat awkwardly in the kitchen.

They looked everywhere but at each other.

After what had happened earlier, she doubted that she would ever be able to look him in the eye again without flushing with embarrassment. Offhandedly, she wondered if she should follow his example and buy a mask…

"Ne, Kagome-chan, why are we sitting here?" asked Tobi, scrutinizing a speck of dust in his teacup.

"Well," Kagome nervously trailed, staring at a point on the other side of the kitchen. "You're the only one I trust, Tobi…"

Tobi blinked in surprise as he looked up from his teacup. "K-Kagome-chan!" he cried, his voice saturated with thick emotions. He looked like he wanted to leap across the table and strangle her in a hug.

Subconsciously, Kagome scooted back…just in case.

_Well, it's now or never, _she thought to herself. "Tobi," she called, snapping him out of his happy-stupor, "I need you to help me retrieve something from the Leader's room."

Tobi gasped, horrified. All traces of happiness left him as he leaned across the table and cried, "Kagome-chan, Leader-sama is going to be angry! He might _eat _me!"

Kagome sweat dropped. Leave it to Tobi to blow the situation out of proportion. "Yes, Tobi, Leader-sama is a little scary, but I don't think he's cannibalistic." At least, for their sake (and the sake of the rest of the Akatsuki), she hoped not.

One cannibal in the organization was enough.

"Nu-uh, Tobi is a good boy. Tobi doesn't steal!" Tobi flatly refused, crossing his arms over his chest. He was not going to budge on this subject!

Kagome scowled.

"I know!" he suddenly cried after a moment of silence. "Tobi will bake cookies for Kagome-chan! Kagome-chan can have Tobi's cookies. It's better than Leader-sama's stuff anyway!"

"Thanks, Tobi, but no thanks."

"Are you sure?" Tobi asked; looking slightly put out that someone (much less Kagome-chan) didn't want his cookies.

Ignoring his question, Kagome quickly tossed a look over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening before quietly begging again, "_Please_ Tobi, this is important. I really need you to get that Forbidden Seal for me!" Grasping Tobi's hand, she urgently continued, "I would get it myself, but Itachi wants me to spend the night with him."

Tobi gagged.

Kagome whacked him over the head. "Hey, watch it." she playfully chided.

Tobi released a sigh. "Fine, which seal did you want?"

"Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" Kagome cried as she jumped over the table and wrapped her arms around Tobi. "I love you!"

"Me?" Tobi echoed. "Don't you mean Itachi-san?" he asked slyly.

"Oh, you know what I meant!" Kagome grumped, shooting Tobi a baleful look.

"So, which seal did you want?" he repeated.

"The Forbidden Time Seal," Kagome answered. "Meet me here after midnight."

"All right," Tobi agreed.

"Thank you." Kagome murmured, knowing that Tobi was taking a huge risk for her sake. Pressing a soft kiss to his masked cheek, she repeated again, "Thank you."

* * *

"Itachi-san?" Kagome called, poking her head into the dim room. It was so dark that she could barely see anything beyond her own hands!

"Go in," Itachi answered from behind, causing her to jump in surprise. Without waiting for her to recover, he quickly swept into the room and began removing his outer cloak, which he neatly tossed over Kisame's bed.

Kagome gulped as she quickly stepped in, allowing the door to swing shut behind her. She immediately blinked in surprise when she realized that Itachi's room was utterly pitch-dark without the hall light. "Um…" she trailed. _Should I open the door again…? _

Before she could voice her thoughts (and nervousness aloud), she suddenly found herself pulled flush against Itachi's body. Flushing a dark red, she immediately tensed when she realized that he had taken off his mesh-net shirt.

"I-Itachi-san…!" Kagome gasped when he suddenly clamped his lips over her neck, gently suckling the flesh between his teeth.

Kagome gradually relaxed as she tilted her head slightly to the right to give him better access to her neck. She subconsciously moaned as he began to help her undress without taking his lips off her flesh. She jumped slightly, startled, when he suddenly spun her around so that she was facing him.

"Ita…" Kagome's eyes automatically slid shut when his lips descended upon hers. Lost in the burning sensations that was coursing through her body, she didn't even realize that he had been guiding her towards his bed until she felt the soft bedding beneath her.

Without ending their kiss, he carefully eased her onto his bed. Then, without breaking the contact, he skillfully slid his body over hers. Once he had her beneath him, he nipped her bottom lip, and she instantly responded by her opening her mouth. Without wasting another moment, his tongue immediately swept through her wet cavern, tasting and teasing every inch of her mouth.

Through the haze of lust, Kagome gently slid her hands over his body, enjoying how his muscles rippled under her touch. _Itachi…_Her eyes closed again as she finally settled on looping her arms around his neck. _I love you. _Moving her hand up, she gently tugged his ponytail loose, loving the way his long, silken hair seemed to cascade around them. _I love you!_

Itachi pulled back briefly. His eyes – a dark, demonic red – flared with the intensity of his lust as he roughly crushed his lips over hers again. After a while, he finally moved to trail small butterfly kisses down her neck as his hands slowly began to wander over her body.

Kagome gasped as she threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer to her body. Even though he was right beside her – pulled flushed against her body – she felt as if he was miles away. He held her in his arms, but her heart broke knowing that everything – the feelings, the gentleness – was only an illusion.

He didn't love her.

Thus, even as their bodies tangled together in a mess of limbs and lust, her heart broke knowing that the illusion would be shattered after the night passed.

He was with her…but he didn't belong to her.

* * *

Hours after Itachi fell asleep, Kagome stirred.

Her eyes crinkled with sadness as she gently brushed his hair out of his face. He was so beautiful…so perfect that it should be a crime. She loathed the idea of leaving him, but she knew that Tobi would be waiting for her in the kitchen.

It was time.

Pressing her lips to his forehead in a last, gentle kiss, Kagome carefully moved his hand off her waist. Looking at him again, she forcefully turned her eyes away from him as she quietly scrambled around the dark room in search of her clothes.

She felt her body ache in protest to her jarred movements, but she wouldn't have traded the pain for anything else in the world. The pain was a testimony of what she had done – a small reminder of what she had shared with him.

Hastily tossing on her clothes, she felt her eyes inevitably drawn to his sleeping face again. He looked so peaceful when he slept that she almost gave in to her urge to remain behind. However, she steeled her will and walked away from him without another glance (lest she really decide to give in). Reminding herself that she was only temporarily walking away from him in order to ensure a happier future for all of them, she walked on.

Stopping at the door, she paused. However, she didn't look back. Without another thought, she opened the door and pushed onward.

A new future awaited them.

* * *

As soon as the door closed, a pair of ruby eyes immediately opened.

The blood-red eyes glowed eerily in the dark as Itachi swiftly stood and pulled on his clothes. His eyes revealed nothing as he quickly donned his outer cloak and exited the room. As he left, he made sure to cloak his aura when he silently, but swiftly followed Kagome to the kitchen, and then out the front door.

It was time he settled the issue.

* * *

TBC

AN: Whew! Finally, I've got this chapter done. I had writer's block for a while. (Actually, I still haven't written the next chapter of Koibito because of that same problem; however, it's all right now since it's gone). Well, I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter. ;) I know that traveling back in time is an overused plotline, but I felt like writing it anyway. Besides that, there's nothing that I can really say. When I want to write something, nothing's going to stop me; and when I want to stop writing, nothing can make me. :)

Also, I've received some PMs about pairings. First off, I've already said it: It's a Kagome and Itachi pairing. Second off, _**no, the pairing is not up for debate, vote, or whatever else**_At one point in my writing career, I've asked readers to choose the pairing, but I've found that it only hinders the story when I do so. My stories are **romance **stories; thus, the pairing is the most important element – the plotline revolves around it. If I put the pairing up for votes, then there wouldn't be a plotline because there wouldn't be a pairing…get my drift?

Moreover, as I'm sure other writers have noticed, some voters are _**too overzealous**_. It gets annoying when I receive fifty reviews from the same person (using different names…though I don't see the point since it's so obvious it's from the same person) in order to vote for their favorite character. Personally, I want _**meaningful**_ reviews that help me know what the readers are thinking (positively or negatively) – not one word or phrase choosing their favorite pairing.

That aside, I promise to work like crazy to get Koibito new chapter done as soon as possible. I know it's late, but I've been busy (like really, really, really busy). So, take care until next time!


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